Flood-actuated roadblock barrier gate

Abstract

Horizontal road barrier gates pivot on vertical posts to swing horizontally across a flooded roadway to block traffic. Floodwater contact plates or paddles on the road barrier gate bottoms are configured and positioned to move the road barrier gates from the force of the floodwater to swing the road barrier gates horizontally across the roadway to block traffic from crossing the flooded road from both directions. A heavy tension spring on each barrier gate normally keeps the road barrier gate off the road and allows the barrier gate to pivot from obstructing the traffic back to its original non-blocking position once flood water recedes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flood warning road barrier device automatically responding to flooding conditions on a roadway to block traffic from traveling on the flooded roadway, the device comprising:
 at least one road barrier gate pivotally mounted on a vertical pivot post on an upstream side of a roadway having a water passage running beneath the roadway with the water flowing approximately perpendicular to the roadway, the at least one horizontally extending road barrier gate comprising at least one rigid barrier structure for blocking traffic traveling in at least one lane of the roadway from at least one direction during flood conditions on the roadway, and further comprising a tension member attached between the road barrier gate and the pivot post to retain the at least one road barrier gate normally in a first position parallel to the roadway spaced apart from at least one travel lane on the roadway, and further comprising a bottom solid water receiving paddle extending vertically below the rigid barrier structure with a bottom of the water receiving paddle above and in close proximity to a top surface of the roadway so that when a water level in the water passage is higher than the top surface of the roadway and overflowing the roadway to cause flooding of the roadway, the water receiving paddle is configured and positioned to be moved by the water flowing over the roadway with a force exceeding a force of the tension member to cause the at least one road barrier gate to pivot ninety degrees around the vertical pivot post to swing horizontally over the at least one travel lane into a second position perpendicular to a direction of travel in the at least one travel lane on the roadway extending horizontally across the at least one travel lane to block vehicles from traveling over the flooded roadway, and further comprising means for stopping the road barrier gate in the second position substantially perpendicular to the roadway extending horizontally across the roadway to block the at least one travel lane, and after the water level recedes from the roadway, the tension member causing the road barrier gate to pivot back into the first position parallel to the roadway to allow vehicles to travel on the roadway; thereby providing a flood warning road barrier device automatically responding to flooding conditions on a roadway to block traffic from traveling on the flooded roadway.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the at least one road barrier gate comprises a pair of road barrier gates each mounted on a pivot post on an upstream side of a two-way roadway having a water passage running beneath the roadway, each of the road barrier gates normally in a first position parallel to the roadway spaced apart from the travel lanes, the pivot posts spaced apart with a first pivot post positioned landward of a first bank of the waterway and a second pivot post positioned landward of a second bank of the waterway so that each of the road barrier gates pivots around a pivot post to swing over the roadway to a second position extending across the flooded roadway perpendicular to the roadway, a first road barrier gate blocking vehicles from traveling from a first direction across the flooded roadway and a second road barrier gate blocking vehicles from traveling from a second direction across the flooded roadway so that the pair of road barrier gates together block vehicles from traveling over the flooded roadway from both sides of the flooded roadway. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2  further comprising means for preventing each of the road barrier gates from interfering with the pivoting motion of the other of the road barrier gates. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3  wherein the means for preventing each of the road barrier gates from interfering with the pivoting motion of the other of the road barrier gates comprises positioning each of the road barrier gates spaced apart from an entire length of the other of the road barrier gates so that there is no possible contact of the two road barrier gates so that each of the road barrier gates pivots freely between the two positions. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 3  wherein the means for preventing each of the road barrier gates from interfering with the pivoting motion of the other of the road barrier gates comprises providing different tension strengths in the tension members so that overlapping road barrier gates swing across the roadway and swing back off of the roadway at different rates so that there is no contact between the two road barrier gates so that each of the road barrier gates pivots freely between the two positions. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the at least one road barrier gate comprises two pair of road barrier gates each of the road barrier gates mounted on a pivot post on an upstream side of a two-way roadway having a water passage running beneath the roadway, each pair of the road barrier gates interconnected by a rigid connector element pivotally attached at each end of the rigid connector element to a mid-portion of one of the interconnected pair, the two pair of road barrier gates normally in a first position parallel to the roadway spaced apart from the travel lanes, the pivot posts spaced apart with a first pivot post of a first pair of interconnected road barrier gates positioned landward of a first bank of the waterway and a second pivot post of the first pair positioned further landward from the first post of the first pair by at least a length of a second road barrier gate and a first pivot post of a second pair of interconnected road barrier gates positioned landward of a second bank of the waterway and a second pivot post of the second pair positioned further landward from the first post of the second pair by at least a length of a second road barrier gate so that each of the road barrier gates pivots around a pivot post to swing over the roadway to a second position extending across the flooded roadway perpendicular to the roadway, a first pair of road barrier gates blocking vehicles from traveling from a first direction across the flooded roadway and a second pair of road barrier gates blocking vehicles from traveling from a second direction across the flooded roadway so that the two pair of road barrier gates together block vehicles from traveling over the flooded roadway from both sides of the flooded roadway with each of the further landward road barrier gates positioned over the roadway beyond the flood water so that vehicles will not drive into the flood water. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the at least one road barrier gate is longer than the width of the travel lanes of the roadway and the means for stopping the at least one road barrier gate in a second position comprises at least one road barrier gate stop on the opposite side of the roadway from the pivot post, the at least one road barrier gate stop comprising at least one rigid structure contacting the at least one road barrier gate. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7  further comprising a magnetic attraction means for assisting in retaining the at least one road barrier gate in contact with the at least one road barrier gate until the flood waters recede and the tension means exerts a force greater than the magnetic attraction means to swing the at least one road barrier gate back to the first position. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising at least one light on the at least one road barrier gate for signaling traffic at night and a means for activating the at least one light when the barrier structure contacts the means for stopping the barrier structure. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9  wherein the at least one light comprises at least one battery powered flashing light on the at least one road barrier gate and the means for activating the at least one battery powered flashing light comprises a pair of contacts closing an electric circuit between at least one battery and the at least one flashing light. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10  further comprising at least one solar panel connected to the at least one battery for charging the at least one battery. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the barrier gate further comprises a plurality of reflectors on the at least on road barrier gate visible to traffic at night. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a barrier structure extension of the road barrier gate for blocking passage of non-vehicular traffic. 
     
     
         14 . The device of claim.  1  wherein the bottom water contacting paddle further comprises a rigid paddle extension portion extending perpendicularly away from the water receiving paddle and the road barrier gate on a water receiving side to allow the flood waters to exert a greater push on the road barrier gate as the road barrier gate approached a perpendicular orientation to the roadway to insure that the road barrier gate reaches a full perpendicular orientation to the roadway during flooding.